I STEP OVER a sleeping Ponyboy and squat beside him, gently feeling his pockets for the bulge of the cigarette container and lighter.

I smile when I find it, slowly pulling the items from his pocket. I stop moving and hold my breath as he shifts in his sleep, grumbling nonsense under his breath as he rearranges the pillow his head lies on.

I let out a soft exhale and finished digging the cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. I haven't smoked in weeks; the doctor said it slows down the healing process of my ribs, so Darry banned me from it. Now that my rib was healed and it was just the ache that bothered me, I don't see what one little cigarette is gonna do.

"Your service is much appreciated; I'll give them back," I promise the sleeping boy, patting his shoulder before standing to my full height and maneuvering through my living room that held all of my friends.

Sodapop and Steve lay on either end of the couch, and to my bewilderment, Beatrice lay curled beside Soda. Two-bit was laid back in the recliner with loud snores, leaving him with a half-empty beer bottle in his hand. On the floor, Ponyboy lay on a bunch of blankets, and barely a foot away from him, Dally, and Johnny lay.

I thought it was sweet how they slept near each other. Dally lay on his back while Johnny lay on his side, his body curled towards Dally. Even in sleep, he thought of Dally as his protector.

As I walk past a sleeping Two-Bit I snag his half-full beer bottle, taking a hefty swig as I stumbled toward the front door.

Once I step outside on the chilly air, I'm surprised to see the outline of a bulky man on our steps, cigarette smoke streaming from in front of him. The sky wasn't as dark, signaling the sun was to rise any moment.

"Darry, is that you?" I whisper to the unidentified man. I get a grunt in response as he glances over his shoulder to look at me.

"Whatchya doin' up so early, Angie?" He questions with a raised eyebrow. His eyes find the beer bottle and cigarettes in my hand and he lifts a bushy brow at me.

"Couldn't sleep," I reply sitting beside him, ignoring his raised eyebrow from before. "You?" I ask glancing between his lit cigarette and him.

Darry didn't smoke that much, only when he was extremely stressed or hanging out with somebody. "Just needed to get away." He answers after a few moments of silence, his eyes finding the sky that was turning from a dark blue to a light blue, almost lilac color. The sky in the fall months was by far my favorite.

"Ponyboy and Johnny have their court hearing next week." He tells me, taking another drag of his cigarette.

I take a swig of my beer before pulling a cigarette and lighting it. "Yeah?" I hum, inhaling the harsh smoke. Since I hadn't smoked in close to a month, the nicotine acted quicker than it usually would, making my mind swim, and my muscles relax.

"You think we're gonna win?" Darry asks, grabbing the beer bottle I was drinking out of and taking a large swig.

His question wasn't as simple as it sounded. We both knew that if we lost this court case, Ponyboy wouldn't just get thrown in the cooler, but Darry would be deemed unfit to take care of us. Soda and I would go to group homes for the next year until we were eighteen, and Ponyboy would be in and out of the cooler and group homes for the next four years.

If we lose, we lose everything.

"We have two Socs sticking up for us, two really rich ones at that. We'll be just fine." I tell him with a soft, assuring smile. I didn't know if that was true or not, but it was what Darry needed to hear.

Darry lets out a breath as he flicks his cigarette butt into the bucket we used as the trash. His eyes find the sun that is rising and painting his face with all the different colors. "The sunrise is beautiful don't you think?" He hums, nudging my arm.

Nostalgia hits me, and suddenly, I'm seven years old, running outside to say goodbye to Darry and Daddy, who were going to work. They always stayed long enough for us to enjoy the sunrise before Daddy would send me back into the house.

"It is," I mutter back. I lean my head against my brother's shoulder as we watch the sunrise together, just like we did when everything was good.

"So you and Dallas, you're serious?" Darry question.

A light blush coats my cheeks at the mention of the man, and slowly, I nod my head, biting back a smile. I hear Darry chuckle and watch as he shakes his head. "I think I love him, Darry," I tell my brother.

Darry stops laughing and looks at me with that intense stare that he got from our father. Sometimes looking at Darry used to hurt from how closely he resembled our father. I knew what Darry was thinking. Dally was a man who was constantly moving. From New York to Texas to anywhere else, he felt like going, and I wanted to go with him, but I'd be leaving my family. "You're not a kid anymore, I know that. But you'll always be my sister and you'll always have a home here no matter what."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Thank you, brother," I mumble to him.

We watch as the sky is painted different colors of pink, orange, yellow, and even some red just like the leaves that fell from the trees. After a few more minutes of sitting in peaceful silence with my brother,  I put my cigarette butt in the bucket along with the now-empty beer bottle and get to my feet.

"We should do this more often." Darry mumbles, his eyes still on the rising sun.

I nod, squeezing his shoulder lovingly "Yeah, we should." I hum as I retreat back into the house. I slip Ponyboy's cigarettes and lighter back into his pocket before tiptoeing out of the living room.

I go into my bedroom, raising an eyebrow when I find a sleeping Dally in my bed. He must've moved while I was outside. I strip my jeans from last night off and remove my bra for comfort before slipping into bed.

Almost like he was waiting for me, Dally wrapped an arm around my middle, pulling me towards him. He squints his chocolate eyes open, grunting as he flips on his side to fully face me. "Where'd you go?" He hums, his voice a low rasp that makes my body tingle.

"On the porch with Darry," I answer, tangling my fingers into his soft locks. He hums in response, burying his head into my neck as he exhales softly, falling back asleep. After barely a minute, I fall back asleep too.

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐦, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐥.

𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐩'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬".

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐟 𝐢'𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭💜💜